The Differences Between Lovers
by Peace-Love-Yaoi
Summary: Shikamaru is married to Kiba, but he still loves Neji. What happens when Shika and Neji meet again? And what's going on with Kiba?
1. Chapter 1

"Lips Of An Angel"

**The Differences Between Lovers**

Beta'ed by feathersinmyhair.

Shika felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket; he pulled it out and saw that Neji was calling him. "I'm gonna go outside and smoke, babe!" Shika called across the house.

"Okay!" Kiba yelled back.

Shika answered the phone and whispered "Just a sec." He walked outside and put the phone to his ear. "You know you can't call me like this, Kiba would flip if he knew I was talking to you." Shikamaru heard the distinct sound of crying coming from the other end of the phone. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" Shikamaru suddenly felt very protective of Neji. If that possessive bastard Sasuke had hurt him, he was going to wish he was never born.

"Shika, I miss you."

"I miss you too Honey." Shikamaru whispered, relieved that Neji was okay.

There was an awkward silence and Neji whispered thickly, "I love you, Shikamaru."

"I love you, too."

"Always."

"And forever."

They both hung up and Shika slumped down on the porch next to the door of the house he shared with Kiba. Their talks were always like that, full of pregnant silences. All the things they couldn't say to each other filled the void between them, Shika couldn't tell Neji that he wanted him back, he took off his wedding band and looked at it, something so small represented such a huge problem. His biggest miscalculation…

Shika slipped the band back on his finger, lit up a cigarette and took a long drag, blowing the smoke out on a sigh. Kiba came out and sat next to him. He looked at his husband, whose face was so unlike that of Neji's. Kiba was all sharp angles and muscled jaw, whereas Neji's face was smooth, almost feminine in its porcelain-perfection. Kiba leaned over and placed a kiss on Shika's lips. Kiba's lips were dry and rough, but Shikamaru took the escape Kiba offered and kissed him back.

"Let's go inside babe."

"Okay…" Shika put out his cigarette and followed his husband inside.

Shika went through all the motions, foreplay, stretching, and the sex. He had to admit Kiba was a wonderful lover, he was so wild and loud.

Shika held onto Kiba's hips hard enough to leave bruises as he took the other, Kiba swore and moaned his name, grinding unabashedly back against him. Kiba liked fast, rough sex, and Shikamaru gave him what he wanted using it to get out all his frustration over the conversation with Neji earlier. When they were finished, they collapsed on the bed, harsh breath filling the silence between them. Kiba stood and walked to the bathroom to clean up. After Kiba came out, Shikamaru went into the bathroom and took a quick shower, scrubbing his body roughly.

When he got out of the shower and joined Kiba in bed, the other was already asleep, and snoring lightly. He looked over at his partner, studying his features. How many times had he looked into that face and taken the vacation from reality that Kiba presented him. He was Shikamaru's break from the truth of his life as a ninja. Truly he loved Kiba, which is what made this entire situation so much worse.**  
--**

Shikamaru woke the next morning to Kiba shaking him. He rolled out of bed and got ready for work for one reason only, he was going to get to see Neji today. Shika knew it was wrong, but he put on Neji's favorite shirt, and fixed his ponytail so that it was perfect. He kissed Kiba on the way out, feeling guilty about his plans for that afternoon.

His morning felt like it lasted forever, and when 2 o'clock finally came and he was off work, he left the building as quickly as he could. Neji called him on his way out, he picked the phone up and Neji purred in his seductive voice, "Room 21, I'll be waiting Shikamaru." Neji hung up and Shika started moving double-time toward his car. He drove out to their usual meeting place, a cozy hotel on the edge of town. Shika took off his wedding band before he got out of his car and hurried to room 21.

He knew it was the right room because Neji's hair-tie was hanging on the handle. Shikamaru took the hair tie and inhaled its scent, no one smelled like Neji, as beautiful as a woman, yet undeniably masculine.

Shikamaru opened the door and put the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the handle before making his way into the room.****

As soon as Shika entered he was surrounded by Neji's scent, he briefly paused and closed his eyes breathing in as deeply as he could. He opened his eyes and turned to see Neji standing naked at the end of the bed. Shikamaru quickly shed his own clothes and joined his lover. He grabbed Neji and pulled him flush to his body. Neji tilted his head up so that Shika could kiss him. Shika placed a sweet kiss on Neji's lips, and trailed more down his neck and onto his shoulder. Neji moaned as Shika licked his way back up to his jaw where he nipped and sucked the soft skin.

Shika pushed Neji back onto the bed and crawled up his body in search of his lips. They kissed deeply as Shika reached for the lubricant on the nightstand. He coated his fingers with the liquid and reached down, coaxing Neji's legs apart. Shikamaru slid the first finger in and began to gently prepare him. He took great care in stretching his lover, savoring the moments that he never thought he would miss three years ago.

When Neji was ready, Shikamaru applied lubricant to himself and placed his shaft at Neji's opening. He leaned down and kissed his lover, penetrating his mouth with his tongue as he simultaneously entered his willing body. Shika began to move, and broke the kiss so he could take Neji's nipple into his mouth. "Touch yourself Honey," Shikamaru instructed, tickling the other's nipple with his hot breath. Neji reached between them and began to stroke his own erection. Shika loved the small whimpers and moans that escaped Neji as he brushed against his prostate repeatedly. Shika knew he was getting close and could sense that Neji was too. He slammed back into him three times before they came together, crying each other's names.

Shika pulled out and lay next to Neji, pulling him to his body and holding the other as he lightly brushed strands of soft hair from his face. As they lay in bed, Neji and Shikamaru held on to each other as if their lives depended on their lover never leaving their embrace.

Finally Neji looked up at Shikamaru and whispered, "We should take a bath." Shikamaru helped Neji up, and followed him to the bathtub.

Neji sat on the counter nude as the other ran a bath for them. What Neji loved most about Shikamaru was how comfortable he was with him, the first time he showed Shikamaru his curse seal the other had briefly glanced at it and never looked at it again. Even when Neji would have his head wrappings off to shower or brush his hair, not once did he ever catch Shikamaru looking at the tattooed markings. Sasuke on the other hand often stared at his markings when they were revealed. He didn't know if it was because Sasuke had his own curse seal, or because he didn't understand how much he hated the symbol, so Neji kept his forehead covered as much as possible around the Uchiha.

Shikamaru came over and motioned the Hyuuga into the bath. Neji settled himself into the warm water, Shikamaru slid in behind him, holding the white-eyed man firmly to his body. He ran the tip of his nose back and forth over the Hyuuga's exposed shoulder taking in his scent. Neji shivered at the contact, making Shika smirk. He pressed his lips to the soft skin and kissed a lazy trail all the way up to his ear where his suckled the lobe. Shikamaru placed his forehead against Neji's shoulder. "I'm sorry…" Shika whispered, mind going back to the night that this all started…

_Shikamaru supposed that the very beginning was his and Neji's breakup. The two of them would squabble over nothing, and they were getting tired of it, but their breakup came as a surprise to both of them. He and Neji had been sharing an apartment, and one day during a particularly heated argument Neji told Shikamaru to leave their apartment, and not come back. Shikamaru quickly packed a bag and left, he went back when he knew Neji was on a mission and picked up the rest of his belongings. Neji never actually wanted him to leave, those words were said in anger, and he regretted them every day._

_Shikamaru had been broken, but Kiba had been there to pick up the pieces and return his precious heart to some of its former glory. He guessed that was why he asked Kiba to marry him after a mere six months. If only he had known that Neji wanted him back, he never would have made that commitment to Kiba. He had no idea how huge the effect of marrying Kiba would be. His biggest miscalculation was that of how the human heart changes over time. Yes, he loved Kiba, and still did, but he loved Neji more. Maybe if he had put more thought into it, he would not be in his current situation. He had tried to solve an equation where he knew none of the variables, and he truly knew that it was his fault he and Neji couldn't be together. Shikamaru didn't actually talk to Neji for an entire two years after their breakup, he had no words that could make their situation better, so he simply avoided the problem._

_Ino and Chouji had thrown him a party on his 21__st__ birthday, and they had invited everyone, including Neji and his new boyfriend Sasuke Uchiha. Shikamaru hadn't known how much he would hate seeing Neji with someone else until he saw the beautiful man being held by a possessive arm. Shika wanted to go over to the Uchiha and rip Neji out of his arms, but it was not his place. He had moved on - what gave him the right to tell Neji that he didn't have that same right? Eventually, Neji came over and wished him happy birthday. Shikamaru just smiled his sad smile and downed the rest of his sake. Neji slipped a small package into his pocket and whispered in his ear for him to open it later._

_After the party, Shikamaru went home with his husband. While Kiba set up the bedroom for their romantic evening, Shika sat on his back porch smoking a cigarette. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small parcel Neji had slipped to him. He opened the tiny box and pulled out its contents: it was the necklace Neji had given him for their two year anniversary, a round piece of glass, the color of the sky with clouds carved into it, hanging on a silver chain. He smiled and went to put the necklace back in the box, when he noticed a tiny note at the bottom of the box which said, "I never really wanted you to leave." Shikamaru took a few deep breaths to quell the tears that were threatening his eyes. When he was finally relaxed he put the necklace on and headed into the house to his husband._

_A few months later Shikamaru was doing the troublesome duty of shopping, Kiba said his clothes were getting too old and faded, and told him to go out and buy some new ones . So Shikamaru went to his favorite clothing store and started glancing through the racks when he noticed Neji looking through a shirt stand. He went over to him and tapped him on the shoulder. Neji turned around and gasped, "Shikamaru! What are you doing here?"_

"_My troublesome husband is making me buy new clothes." But Shikamaru noticed that Neji wasn't listening to him, his eyes were fixed on the small necklace that hung around Shikamaru's neck. "Look, I can explain—" "Shikamaru…" Neji looked up at him with the most brilliant smile he had ever seen on his face. "Thank you."_

_Neji helped Shikamaru pick out a variety of clothes, then pushed him into the dressing room and threw the clothes at him telling him, "Try these on." Shikamaru began trying on the clothes. The only thing he was quarreling with was one shirt that he personally thought was too tight. He opened the door to tell Neji that the shirt didn't fit, but as soon as he opened the door he was assaulted by Neji's lips on his. Shikamaru kissed back in earnest. His mind didn't register that he was cheating on his husband, all he could think of was how good Neji tasted and felt. Soon they were naked, and Shikamaru was moving inside his beloved. This was nothing like how they used to make love, it was fast and desperate, and both frantically searching for the white-euphoria that came with orgasm._

_When they both finally reached their peak, it was like the dam of emotions broke and both of them couldn't stop telling the other how much they missed them and loved them, and Shikamaru couldn't stop apologizing. When they finally calmed themselves, Neji looked Shikamaru in the eyes pleadingly asked, "Can I see you again?"_

_Shikamaru sighed, "I'm married. God… and I just cheated on my husband. Fuck! Why?"_

"_Just meet me so we can talk, there is so much I want to say to you. It doesn't have to be about sex Shika."_

"_Okay." Shikamaru agreed, but deep down he knew that it wasn't really about sex which actually made it worse, because it was about love._

_So often they fooled themselves thinking that these meetings were only about sex, but they meant so much more than either of them could put into words. They both felt guilty for cheating on their respective partners, but neither could stop themselves._

"Shikamaru?" Neji said, snapping Shika out of his reverie.

"Yes?"

"Don't think about it, it helps."

"Yeah…"

Shika's lips descended on his lover's and he kissed him passionately, tongues tangling together. Shikamaru couldn't help but feel guilty as he thought about his husband, and the fact that he never kissed him the way he kissed Neji. Shikamaru broke the kiss and grabbed the bar of hotel soap and started to wash away their sins.

Neither of them wanted to leave, they stood at the threshold of the door locked in each other's grip. Both were holding on, trying to buy more time in the arms of their lover, but they both knew their time was short. Shikamaru had to get home to Kiba, and Neji to Sasuke. Shikamaru placed one last kiss on his lover's lips, causing the tears in Neji's eyes to spill over. Shika kissed Neji's tears away and gave him one last peck on the cheek before he walked to his car.

**  
--**

It was two days before Shikamaru talked to Neji again. His phone vibrated in his pocket and when he saw that it was Neji, he yelled to Kiba. "Going out to smoke!"

"Okay."

"Hey, Honey." Shika whispered into the phone.

"Shika, I dreamed about you last night."

"I dreamt about you too." Silence… "Where's Sasuke?"

"On a mission. Where's Kiba?" "In the house." Their usual loaded silence followed."I'll see you on Friday."

"Okay… I love you Shikamaru."

"I love you too."

"Always."

"And forever."

**--**

Kiba went outside and sat next to Shikamaru, he snuggled in close, and Shika distantly wrapped an arm around him. They sat like that for a few minutes until Kiba started kissing his neck. Shika leaned his head to the side and gave him better access. Kiba kissed the soft skin, nuzzling his neck like a puppy. It was moments like this that Shikamaru felt the most guilty.

Shikamaru never talked to Kiba during their fleeting moments of passion. He always replaced Kiba's face with Neji in his mind, and had almost called him by the wrong name on more than one occasion. Every time they cared for those needs it was like a one-night-stand, Kiba's body so unfamiliar; it wasn't the body of the lover he knew. And Kiba was so unlike Neji.

As their fervor slipped away, he was left feeling hollow and more fragile than before. They never cuddled or held each other, but that was the way his and Kiba's relationship worked. Neither of them were particularly cuddly. Neji was actually the only lover he had ever had that particular tendency with. He had a good relationship with Kiba, they understood each other. Both of them put their duty as a Konoha Ninja before anything else. Their sex was used more as a release from the real world, from responsibility. Neither of them had to make any life or death decisions: to give that sort of pleasure and release to someone was a beautiful thing in their eyes.

**--**

Once again Shikamaru found himself outside the house internally dealing with another talk with Neji.

Inside the house Kiba answered a call from Shino.

"Hey precious, what's wrong?"

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	2. Chapter 2

The Differences Between Lovers

Ch. 2 Neji

Beta'ed by feathersinmyhair! (Who is awesome, BTW)

People call them geniuses. But they are both fools in love. Neji should be much too smart for this, but somehow he found himself going to that hotel every Friday to meet Shikamaru. His head told him to stop this nonsense, but his heart's much louder voice reminded him of how much Shikamaru meant to him. And once again Neji was headed to that damned hotel to meet the man of his dreams where they would have their brief collision and then it would be over…until next Friday.

Neji rented a hotel room, number 32. He made his way to the door and pulled his hairtie out hanging it on the knob so Shikamaru would know he had the right room. Neji sat on the edge of the bed and put his face in his hands: why was he so fucked up? Why could he not stop thinking of Shikamaru? He pulled out his cell phone and called Shikamaru, "Room 32, see you here." Neji knew that Shikamaru heard the distressed note in his voice. He sat, holding his head, long hair swinging freely over his shoulders and pooling in his lap until he heard the turning of the door handle.

He looked up to see a frowning Shikamaru. The shadow-nin came over to him and sat next to him on the bed, wrapping his arms around the Hyuuga and pulling Neji's head down to rest on his chest. Neji was a proud man, and he would never let anyone see him cry except Shikamaru, because he knew that crying didn't make him any less of a man in Shikamaru's eyes. Silent tears began running down his face and falling on Shikamaru's flak vest.

Neji thought of how he must look like an idiot, crying all over Shikamaru. He steadied his breaths and tried stop the flow of tears coming out of his eyes. "I'm sorry about that Shikamaru, I don't know what came over me."

"Yes you do. It's my fault. Neji, I don't want to make you cry, I want to be the one who makes you stop crying. Fuck!" Neji looked at Shikamaru whose outburst was quite unexpected. Shikamaru very rarely used curse words, and when he did it was only because he was really stressed out.

"No, it's not you Shikamaru! It's me…it's my fault that we're like this, I am the one who kicked you out, remember?"

"No Neji, I am the one who is married, I should have more control over myself."

Neji's pride would never accept that he wasn't the one to blame. "No, it is my mistake, I kissed you that day, and meeting was my idea."

"I accepted your offer. Maybe we are both equally to blame. Who knows?" Shikamaru placed a heartbreakingly gentle kiss on Neji's lips. "Do you want to stop? If you do I will leave now."

"I couldn't stop now even if I wanted to."

---

Soon enough Neji was drowning in Shikamaru. All his senses were being taken over; his mouth was tasting Shikamaru's, all he could smell was Shikamaru's clean scent, he was feeling the shadow-nin inside him, his ears were filled with their passionate moans, he watched the ecstasy flicker across his lover's face. It was enough to make him come harder than he had in a long time. When Neji finally released he saw white, and screamed in an almost agonized way.

Neji lost control when he was with Shikamaru, he both hated and loved the feeling. It was scary because as a shinobi he was fearful of the unpredictable, but it felt good to not be responsible for his actions. He lay in the arms of his love and traced each scar within his reach. When he and Shikamaru had finally reunited, he hated not knowing where all his scars came from. Sometimes when he discovered a new scar, he would make Shikamaru tell him the story of how he got it. Neji traced a circular scar underneath Shika's right nipple that he had received from a fight with a rogue-nin. Neji leaned down and kissed the dark nipple, flicking his tongue and teasing the hard nub. "Neji…" Shikamaru breathed.

Neji once again was standing at the threshold of the door of the hotel room, arms clamped around Shikamaru, unwilling, unable to let go. They stood like that for several minutes, placing loving kisses on the other. Shikamaru sighed and leaned his forehead on Neji's shoulder. "Time to go…" they sighed at the same time.

---

"Sasuke, I have been cheating on you with Shikamaru." Neji practiced this line in the mirror, perfectly aware that he wouldn't be saying those words to Sasuke anytime soon. Neji put his long hair in a tie and changed into his nightclothes. He was expecting Sasuke home any minute, Sasuke always worked late on Tuesdays, something to do with reports being due on Wednesdays. Neji didn't mind, he had always liked being alone.

Neji heard Sasuke enter the front door of the apartment, and went out to greet him. Sasuke had the feral look in his eye that could only mean one thing… Sasuke had run into Naruto today. Neji's plans for a quiet evening were now ruined. He didn't look down on Sasuke for feeling the way he did about Naruto, he used to be the same way before he started his affair with Shikamaru. Neji went over to Sasuke and gave him a hard kiss, crashing their lips together.

Neji knew that Sasuke wanted to be hurt, and he knew just how to inflict the pain the other was searching for. He grabbed the raven's hair and pulled his neck to the side, biting down of the exposed flesh. Sasuke cried out as Neji bit him hard enough to draw blood. "Do I need to get it?"

"Please…"

"Go to the bedroom, I'll be there in a minute."

Neji went to the closet where they kept all of their less than acceptable sexual devices, he grabbed a few items and took them with him to the room. Sasuke was sitting on the bed in the exact same position Neji had been in at the hotel earlier. "All fours, now." Sasuke complied with the order, and crawled into the submissive position. Neji quickly tied Sasuke's hands together tightly enough to bruise the pale wrists, before moving around behind Sasuke. Neji spit in his hand and lubricated his hard shaft. He knew Sasuke didn't want to be stretched; he wanted the pain and soreness that came with their kind of sex.

Neji impaled the Uchiha in one swift motion, causing him to scream from the pain. Neji reached over and grabbed a kunai, before going to work on Sasuke's back. He slowly carved lines down Sasuke's back as he thrust into him. He looked down on the canvas of his torture. Sasuke's back was marred with long scars, some completely healed, some still pink, and some that were just scabbing over. They both knew what they were doing was sick, but for some reason they both needed this. Sasuke to be hurt, and Neji to hurt someone. "Deeper!" Sasuke screamed, Neji knew from his tone, that he was talking about the kunai. Neji dug the kunai deeper into Sasuke's flesh, causing the raven to yelp. "Do it now, Neji."

"Are you sure you want that today?"

"Yes! Just do it."

Neji put a ball gag on Sasuke, and buckled it around the back of his head. Neji grabbed the whip and pulled out of Sasuke so he could have a better angle for thestrokes. He brought it down on Sasuke's back as hard as he could. Sasuke screamed around the ball-gag, and Neji brought the whip down on Sasuke's already bloodied back again. With each lash of the whip, Sasuke's cock gave an almost painful throb. Neji repeated the painful whipping about five more times before he decided that Sasuke had had enough, by the time he was through, Sasuke was desperate for orgasm. Neji threw the whip aside, and took care of his own needs, grabbing the pale hips and thrusting into Sasuke mercilessly. Sasuke moaned as Neji pounded into his heat, he rocked back to meet his partner, bodies colliding harshly. Neji's nails left five perfect crescent-moon cuts in Sasuke's skin where he was holding the raven's hips. He angled himself inside Sasuke so that he was hitting his prostate with each thrust, he reached around and began pulling Sasuke's erection roughly. Sasuke came first, and Neji shortly followed, the rhythmic contractions proving too much for him.

Neji pulled out of Sasuke and quickly removed the ball-gag and rope. They were both covered in blood, and thoroughly sated. He brushed a few strands of hair from Sasuke's eyes in an uncharacteristically gentle display. "Did I hurt you too much?"

"No…thank you."

"I understand. Let's clean you up."

That was all that needed to be said. Neither was very verbose, and expressing emotions to each other was almost like a sin. The two proud males found themselves, once again, cleaning and treating Sasuke's wounds in silence. Sasuke seemed very controlling to others, but Neji knew that he only tried to control things because he lost control of Naruto, and now he was unhappy. It didn't bother Neji that he wasn't Sasuke's ideal partner, because Sasuke wasn't his first choice either. They both knew and understood this part of their relationship, which is why it worked. They were simply compatible in needs, and that mutuality worked quite well for both of them.

----

Sasuke knew he was pathetic, but as usual he was sitting on a rooftop outside the mission office on Tuesday waiting to see Naruto go in for his weekly appointment. He felt like a stalker, he was being creepy, and he couldn't help himself. He concealed his chakra and waited. As he saw Naruto approach in the distance, his heart started beating double-time. He imagined jumping down and telling Naruto all the things he had kept bottled inside of himself. But he wouldn't.

Weak, useless, pitiable…

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	3. Chapter 3

Sasuke

Thanks to all my reviewers! Your words are love!

Naruto and Sasuke's lives used to revolve around one another. But Sasuke had ruined that with a few choice words and punches. What had he been thinking when he left the village? Well, he was thinking that Itachi was still out there somewhere. The man who killed his family… what was he supposed to do, turn his back on everyone he ever loved? It wasn't until after he came back to the village that he realized that by leaving he really had turned his back on everyone he ever loved. His family wouldn't have wanted him to make himself miserable for revenge. They would have wanted him to move on and make a new life, to fill the void of family with friends and lovers.

But now he was emptier than ever. Sure he had Neji, but he didn't really count - they were just roommates and fuck-buddies, they threw the word boyfriends out there so everyone would stop speculating. Besides, Neji had been fucking that lazy Nara for months. It was kinda cute how he still thought Sasuke didn't know. Sasuke knew that bringing it up would make things awkward, so he didn't say anything to Neji about it. In his opinion Neji could fuck whoever he wanted, because their relationship just didn't fall into the "normal" category.

His and Neji's relationship relied on neither of them asking too many questions. Sasuke didn't ask about the Nara, and Neji didn't ask why Sasuke wanted to be hurt. They both knew the answers, but neither was willing to discuss it.

---

As usual Sasuke was sitting on top of the roof across from the mission center, watching Naruto as he approached. As soon as he saw the orange silhouette in the distance, his heart gave a painful throb. Sasuke then realized that Naruto was not alone. That Aburame bug-freak was with him. Sasuke's chest constricted when he saw Naruto give that weirdo a kiss on the cheek. He hated seeing Naruto with someone else. Sasuke gasped for air, the sudden tightness in his chest overwhelming him. He blinked tears back from his eyes and masked his chakra. When Naruto and his lover reached the door, Shino turned and looked right at him, raising his eyebrow in obvious question.

Sasuke made a handsign and teleported away to a quiet place in the forest where he could break-down privately. He fell to his knees on the grass and screamed as loud as he could. He screamed until his throat was raw. Then he burst into tears and as the tears rolled down his face, he hoarsely whispered the word "Why…?" over and over again. "Fuck!" He screeched as his sorrow turned to anger and began to attack the trees around him. He punched the rough bark of a particularly large tree until his knuckles were sliced so deeply and swollen so much that he could no longer make a fist. He sank to the ground, holding his head in his fucked-up hands as his breathing returned to normal. He slowly made his way back to Neji. Sasuke knew he was going to need a particularly rough session that night, and he knew Neji would give him what he wanted - that was the reason they were together, right?

When Sasuke returned home, Neji was laying on their bed reading. As soon as the Hyuuga saw Sasuke, he got that knowing look in his eyes. He made his way over to Sasuke and began examining his hands, "Let's get these bandaged up before we begin, shall we?"

---

A few days later Sasuke was awoken by a messenger knocking at his window. He dragged himself out of bed, gently pulling off the sheets that were dried to his back with blood making the newest wounds begin to sluggishly drip blood down his butt and legs. Sasuke didn't bother getting dressed before he walked to the window and took the summons from the masked ANBU. He could sense the apprehension coming from the stranger and smirked, "Would you like to come in? My boyfriend and I have plenty of room in our bed for you. Don't forget to bring your kunai." Sasuke let out a low chuckle and turned to head for his bathroom. When his back was exposed to the stranger, he heard a gasp. He chuckled again. After a quick shower and crude bandaging (he'd get Neji to do it properly later), he left for Hokage tower.

Upon walking into Tsunade's office he spotted Naruto, and his heart began to pound heavily in his chest. He had to struggle to keep an indifferent look on his face, and somehow knew that he wasn't quite pulling it off. Tsunade didn't care however and began going into details about an A-Rank mission she was sending the two of them on. "Wait!" Sasuke interrupted, "You are sending me and him… alone?"

"Yes, it's only a two man mission."

"Okay… when do we leave?"

"Now." Sasuke turned to leave, but Tsunade called him back. "I don't want to interfere with your personal life, but refrain from activities that may affect your competency on missions." She gave him a knowing look. "Dismissed."

Sasuke was furious as he raced home. That ANBU that delivered the message had better be thankful that he didn't recognize him, because if he ever found out who that bastard was, he was going to kill him. It was nobody's business but his and Neji's what they did on their own time. He grabbed one of the pre-packed bags he and Neji kept in the spare closet, scribbled a quick note to Neji and headed for the village gates where he and Naruto were supposed to meet. He arrived before Naruto, leaned against the wall and waited. As he waited, his mind filled with memories of his and Naruto's past. The first time they had made love, their first argument, Naruto making ramen for them, the two of them sitting in the dark talking into the wee-hours of the morning. Sasuke forcefully brought his mind to new matters thinking of the punishment Neji would have to inflict upon him once he got home to take that time off of his mind. He would be bedridden for days, and for some reason he was more excited about Neji's punishment than the fact that he was going on a mission with Naruto. His mind flickered to the note he had written to Neji. Why had he bothered? Neji would just assume he was on a mission if he didn't go home. His brow furrowed unconsciously as he turned this new information over in his mind.

Naruto finally arrived, and with a nod from Sasuke they headed off for the Sand Village to deliver a message for the Kazekage. The two of them ran in stubborn silence until Sasuke sensed another chakra. He came to halt on a thick tree branch and Naruto stopped ahead of him, looking back at him with confused eyes.

"There is another chakra near us… make that two, no three. I don't recognize any of them." Naruto nodded and they continued sprinting through the trees. When the enemies were close enough, Sasuke signaled to Naruto to stop in the clearing ahead.

Sasuke and Naruto stood, backs facing each other, Sasuke a little to the left, as he knew that was Naruto's weaker defensive side. Both of them read the other's intentions, and as the enemy ninja jumped from the trees, Sasuke and Naruto were poised, ready to use the move they invented together so long ago. Two of the enemy ninja flew out of the trees, one heading for each of the leaf-nin. At the last moment, they both turned around and threw a handful of kunai at their partner's attacker. The unusual move gave them just the element of surprise that they needed to hit their targets. Most ninja were skilled enough to dodge a kunai. Their move, however, threw the enemy off of their game, as the kunai came from an unexpected direction.

As they turned, their faces came within centimeters of each other. The tips of their noses grazed, and for one millisecond they were lovers again. The moment passed as quickly as it had come, and Sasuke threw himself into battle once more. One of his kunai had caught the enemy on his arm, but the wound didn't seem to faze him. Sasuke jumped forward catching the attacker with a right hook, but this again didn't slow him down. He upper cut Sasuke and sent him flying back into a tree. Sasuke hadn't expected such skilled enemies. According to Tsunade, the information in the scrolls was important enough to qualify for an A rank mission, but just barely. Sasuke assumed it was some kind of secret medical jutsu, but had no proof.

Sasuke jumped back up and cast a handful of throwing stars in his enemy's direction. While the other was busy dodging the attack, he activated his Sharingan. The other came running at him; at the last moment he triggered his chidori, and caught the enemy in the stomach. Sasuke's arm went all the way through him , he pulled his hand back, and noted that the enemy looked as if he had been shot with a canon. At that moment, Sasuke heard Naruto scream. He turned around and saw that the third enemy had snuck out of the trees and stabbed the blonde in the back with a kunai. Sasuke watched as Naruto fell to the ground: the moment his body hit the grass, Sasuke lost control and ran at the two black-clad ninja. His chakra flared and he got his chidori going in both of his palms. He took the others down in much the same fashion as he had the first.

Sasuke ran to Naruto, grabbed the orange-clad idiot in his arms and carried him to a more secluded spot. Naruto was breathing and his pulse was steady. He removed Naruto's shirt and examined the wound, pulling out his medi-pack and quickly dressing it . He observed that it was already healing, no doubt using the power of the nine-tailed fox. Naruto had passed out from blood-loss, so Sasuke moved him to a cave where he could rest. Sasuke gathered wood to build a small fire, never wandering far enough from the mouth of the cave to lose sight of it. As he gathered the fuel, he placed various traps and protective seals around the area.

After building the small fire, Sasuke lay back letting the fire burn at the mouth of the cave, and fell into a restless slumber. Naruto finally woke up, and turned to see Sasuke asleep on the cave floor near his feet. He felt a pain in his back, and reached behind to see that it was already bandaged. He smiled at the thought of his teme dressing his wounds just like old times. He watched Sasuke sleep just as he had so many times in the past.

When Sasuke awoke, the first thing that came to his mind was Naruto. He turned to see blue eyes and smiled when he saw that Naruto was okay.

"Do you have any wounds that you need help dressing?" Naruto asked. Sasuke thought of the bandages on his back that should be changed, but he couldn't show those to Naruto, it would spur too many questions. So he just shook his head. "Sasuke, there is blood leaking through the back of your shirt, are you sure you don't need help?" Sasuke blushed, looking away, and handed Naruto his medical kit.

"Okay." Sasuke slowly pulled his shirt off in trepidation and Naruto removed the old dressings.

"Sasuke… what the fuck is this?"

Sasuke blushed again and trained his eyes on the ground. "Nothing. Are you gonna dress my wounds or sit there like a loser and stare at them?"

Naruto stifled all the questions that were bubbling up in his throat and examined Sasuke's wounds in silence. There were long jagged cuts on his back, and by the look of it whatever it was that caused them had been going on for a while because there were some pink and healed, some scabbed and healing, a few of them were still open and bleeding. Naruto felt sick to his stomach as his fingers roamed the ravaged skin. He was appalled when he put pressure on a particularly deep cut and Sasuke moaned in an distinctly sexual way.

Naruto looked at Sasuke with eyes as wide as saucers. Finally he snapped out of his shock and focused on Sasuke. "Sasuke…I…" He never got to finish that sentence however, because Sasuke was suddenly kissing him, and he was kissing back. Their tongues snaked out to writhe together in sensual rhythm. Sasuke and Naruto's hands were both roaming the other. Clothes were torn and scattered, and soon Naruto was on his back, with Sasuke on top of him, grinding their hardened flesh together. Naruto tried to deny how good it felt… how right, but he couldn't fool himself; deep moans were making their way to his lips. Finally he couldn't hold back anymore, once the first moan fell from his lips, they spilled like a fountain filling the air with embarrassingly needy sounds. Naruto's mind was battling his body, his mind was telling him how much it would hurt Shino if he knew about this, but his body was more focused on how good Sasuke felt, rubbing against him.

Sasuke broke their kiss and pressed his fingers to Naruto's lips; he opened them and began to wet Sasuke's digits. When Sasuke felt they were wet enough, he removed them from Naruto's hot mouth. He placed the first to Naruto's entrance and slipped it in, the saliva providing a decent amount of lubrication. Naruto's inner monologue continued as his anal wall was breached. But his body had won out and he tried to focus on Sasuke's callused fingers. Sasuke felt Naruto beginning to loosen and added his second finger, finding Naruto's prostate. The uke cried out, encouraging Sasuke to continue to rub that spot until he was completely relaxed. Finally Sasuke placed his cock at the fox's entrance and pushed into him. Naruto chanted Sasuke's name with every thrust, as he was filled so deliciously. Sasuke knew exactly where Naruto's prostate was and he made it his target, continuing to hit it until the Uzumaki was writhing beneath him. Sasuke needed something more, he reached for a kunai and handed it to Naruto. "Cut me."

"No." Sasuke slammed back into his uke.

"Do it!"

"I can't hurt you!"

"NOW!"

Naruto broke and plunged the blade into the skin of the other's chest and began to drag it down, leaving a deep wound in its wake. Sasuke made a deep purring moan in his chest. However disgusted Naruto was with himself, he was turned on by this new power he had over Sasuke. He made another long cut next to the first, and smiled as Sasuke screamed. No wonder Neji liked this. Sasuke's blood was pouring freely from the wounds. Naruto noticed that he was losing a lot of blood, so he pushed Sasuke to the side so that he was lying on his back. Sasuke cried out and thrust his hips up when his ruined back met the cold, rocky floor of the cave.

He looked up at Naruto as the other rode his cock. Sasuke had never seen a sexier sight than the blonde impaling himself , covered in blood. "God, you are fucking sexy… beautiful." Naruto arched his back, turning his face up and moaning. Sasuke knew he was provoking him, but he took the bait and snapped his hips up. Naruto squeaked as his prostate was hit directly. He put his hands on Sasuke's chest, pushing down on the fresh wounds. Sauke's orgasm was quickly approaching; he began to drive his hips upward, seeking his own pleasure. He reached down and began to tug Naruto's hard erection. Naruto gave the wounds on his chest a hard push and Sasuke was thrown over the edge, filling Naruto. Naruto came, the feeling of Sauke's hot seed coating his insides. Boneless, he collapsed on top of Sasuke.

"Come on, we need to wash up." They pulled on their clothes trying as best they could to prevent them becoming soiled further with their own bodily fluids, and Sasuke led Naruto to a river, deactivating the traps and seals as they went. When he reached the bank Sasuke pulled his shirt off, Naruto was struck with guilt. He had cut him when he already had so many injuries. His stomach rolled as he saw the wounds again. He removed his clothes, pulled Sasuke into the cold water with him and slowly and gently as possible washed his wounds. The blood, sweat and cum mixed with the water and was pulled away with the current.  
---

They delivered their message with no more interruptions. They ran in silence, both thinking over what they had done. Naruto was berating himself. How could he have done something so low? For the first time in his life, he felt like he didn't deserve to be Hokage. He resolved to never tell Shino about his slip-up.

Sasuke was deep in thought about what the sex had meant. Did Naruto want him back? If he did, what would he do? Neji came to his mind. Would Neji rejoice in the new freedom, would the white-eyed man miss him? He knew that he would miss Neji. Their relationship may have started out of convenience, but Neji was a huge part of his life now. Naruto's face held the disgust that he hadn't been able to express verbally. Secretly Sasuke was ashamed of himself for his repulsive needs.

When they were just outside the village gates, Naruto stopped Sasuke and gave him a grave look. He took the raven's hands in his and said, "Sasuke, I love you."

"I love you, too."

"But… I don't love you the way I used to. We aren't the same people, and I can never forget that day at the Final Valley. What you did killed me inside. Shino is the only one who can make me feel again, and we are getting married. I'm so sorry….""

Sasuke felt his heart stop. That he was not expecting. "Okay… I have to go…"

Naruto opened his mouth to reply but Sasuke was already gone.

Sasuke was running across rooftops, looking for his escape. He needed Neji, now! He finally found the white-eyed man, at lunch with his former teammates. He walked into the restaurant and tapped Neji on the shoulder. Neji turned and saw the wild look in Sasuke's eyes. He sighed and bade farewell to his comrades, leaving money for his meal.

Neji followed Sasuke home, where he re-opened all the wounds Naruto had bandaged. Sasuke lied to Neji about Naruto's cuts, blaming them on the enemy ninja they had fought. Neji accepted this immediately. Sasuke suspected that he wouldn't really care either way, but he found himself unusually eager to please the Hyuuga.

---

Somewhere across town…

Shino was looking into dark eyes as he lay with his secret lover. The two of them were basking in their post-orgasm bliss. Suddenly Shino was up and throwing on clothes.

"What are you doing?" Kiba asked.

"Naruto is back in town, and he's upset. I have to go. I will see you. I'll call you."

And he was gone, leaving Kiba feeling empty.

Reviews? Please….?


	4. Chapter 4

This chapter is Naruto's POV. It is pretty fluffy b/c Naruto is the least confused of all the characters on what he wants. I hope you enjoy.

Beta'ed by feathersinmyhair, who also drew me a picture for my story. Will post link in profile!

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Naruto Ch. 4

Naruto trudged into Konoha slowly. Letting Sasuke down had not been as easy as he had thought, but he loved Shino, and Sasuke wasn't going to change that. He picked up his pace towards home and found his fiancé in the shower. He went to their bedroom, put on his favorite orange sleeping pants, and, after crawling between the sheets; he hugged his pillow and cried. Shino came out of the bathroom in only his boxers. When he saw Naruto crying, he went over to the bed and climbed in with him. Shino guessed that Naruto crying had something to do with that Uchiha, he could be a real bastard sometimes. Although his curiosity was burning, he could tell that Naruto didn't want to talk about it. He scooted over to Naruto and wrapped his arms around him, pulling the fox-boy to his chest. Once Shino wrapped his arms around him, it dissolved any control he had left, his tears falling onto Shino's chest, while the other held him and stroked his hair softly. This was why Naruto loved Shino, he knew when he needed to talk, but he also knew when he just needed to be held and loved. Eventually Naruto cried himself out and Shino finally asked, "Are you okay?" It was such a simple question, but it had a complicated answer.

"Yes, now that I am home with you, I think so."

That was all that needed to be said. Shino held Naruto and softly hummed to him as he fell into a deep sleep. Shino looked at the beautiful blonde in his arms; Naruto had really grown into a handsome man. Guilt washed over him as he thought about his earlier activities; maybe he should break it off with Kiba. He sighed into the darkness and stared at the ceiling until he fell into a fitful sleep.

--

Naruto woke the next morning to an empty bed. He sat up and noticed a note lying on Shino's pillow which read, "Sorry for leaving you alone this morning. I know you weren't feeling well last night. I love you. Shino" Naruto smiled and slid out of bed heading for the shower, taped to the shower curtain was another note. "I love you." Naruto took a long shower, letting the water wash away the tenseness of the muscles in his back. When he finally emerged, he wrapped a towel around his hips and went to his dresser. He opened his underwear drawer to grab a pair of boxers and found another note on top of the folded garments. "I love you." There was yet another in his sock drawer, and one hanging in his closet. He dressed and went to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and set against the milk carton was another. "I love you." There was also one taped to his favorite box of cereal, one in the cabinet with the bowls and one in the drawer next to the spoons.

Naruto finally sat down to eat a bowl of cereal, in high spirits. Shino always knew how to make him feel better. As he left the house, there was one last message stuck to the door. "Have a good day. I love you."

--

Naruto had the day off from his regular duties because he had just returned from a mission the day before, so he went to visit Sakura at the hospital. When he arrived, the girl at the front desk told him that she was in an examination room. He followed her directions and burst through the door without knocking, in true Naruto fashion. Neji was cut off from his sentence, but Naruto managed to catch a few words. "…none of your concern-

Sasuke was lying on the table face-down, ruined back exposed, and Neji was standing at the foot of the bed in a way that clearly showed that he was protecting the Uchiha from Sakura. Sakura looked a mixture of mad and disgusted. Naruto froze. "Uhh… I guess I'll be going…" He slipped out the door and went to Sakura's office. He needed to know what had happened, so he took a seat at her desk and waited. When he had walked in and seen the look on Neji's face, the only emotion he could put to a face like that was love. He looked feral, ready to fight Sakura to keep her from touching Sasuke. What did that mean, that Neji and Sasuke's relationship was only one-sided? He felt even more guilt piling on top of the already mountainous pile he had going.

--

Sakura finally entered her office, sighing and taking a seat opposite him. She sighed and looked at Naruto. "Did you see his back?"

"Yeah. What happened?" He asked, trying not to look too guilty.

"Neji is a fucking sadist."

"Are you sure it's all Neji's fault?"

"You think Sasuke _wanted_ Neji to do that?!"

"Sasuke is a very capable ninja; if he hadn't wanted Neji to do it he could have stopped him."

"Eww… that's really disturbing."

"So, why was he here?"

"He passed out in the middle of the street. Not really from one particular thing, fatigue from your mission, slight blood loss, plus the heat of the afternoon all piled up on him and proved too much. He pushes his body too hard, but I guess that he wouldn't be Sasuke if he didn't."

"I am going to talk to him. He has to stop this before he really hurts himself."

"Good luck, you're going to need it."

Naruto left Sakura's office and headed for Sasuke and Neji's flat, after stopping at the drugstore. He knocked and Neji answered. "Can I talk to Sasuke?"

"No." Neji wasn't particularly in the mood to talk about their little hospital visit. He and Sasuke didn't owe him any favors, so Neji wasn't feeling very hospitable at the moment.

"I really need to talk to him."

"I know that pink-haired bitch sent you, and it isn't any of your business. Get off my porch. Now."

Sasuke shuffled to the door. "Let him in. You have to get back to work anyway." Neji looked very disapproving, but respected his boyfriend's wishes, and allowed Naruto to enter. He turned to Sasuke and began to fuss over him.

"You have to stay in bed. That doctor said so."

Neji put Sasuke in bed and kissed his forehead. He walked past Naruto and paused for a moment to whisper in his ear. "If you hurt or upset him, I will tear you limb from fucking limb. Understood?" He didn't wait for an answer before gliding past Naruto and out the door.

Naruto approached Sasuke cautiously, the Uchiha simply glared at him. "Get your little speech over with so you can report back to Sakura."

"Actually, I didn't come here to lecture you. I just wanted to bring you something." Naruto pulled a small box of iron pills from his jacket pocket. "I know that you are too stubborn to stop what you are doing just because I told you to. So I want you to take these, you can buy them at the drug store. It will help you build up your iron so you won't pass out again."

Sasuke took the offered box, "Uhh… thanks."

"No problem." Naruto took a seat on the bed next to Sasuke. "I worry about you, you have always been too careless with your own body, and I fear that someday you will take it too far."

Sasuke grabbed Naruto by the shirt and pulled him down into a kiss. It was quick kiss, just a pressing of lips, and then it was gone. "Thank you Naruto."

"Yeah…"

After making sure that Sasuke was okay and didn't need anything else, Naruto left and made his way back to his own apartment. It was already close to time for Shino to come home since he had woken up so late. When he arrived, he started dinner. He wanted to thank Shino for being so kind and considerate both last night and this morning. He made the only meal he actually knew how to make, ramen. Not the microwaveable instant noodles, he made it from scratch. Thankfully ramen was still a pretty quick meal so he still had time to freshen up and change clothes before his lover arrived.

--

After dinner, the two of them relaxed on the couch and talked. To Naruto, it always seemed that he and Shino never ran out of things to say. Conversation was halted when Naruto kissed Shino firmly on the lips. Shino smirked into the kiss, pulling Naruto so he was straddling his lap. Both were quickly hardening, and as Naruto bucked his hips they both moaned. Naruto pulled away and began attacking Shino's neck with his tongue and teeth. Shino moaned again as Naruto sucked the skin, leaving a purple mark in his wake. He pulled Shino's hoodie over his head, leaving him in only a white tank-top, then with a devious smirk he slipped off the couch leaving a very horny jounin. Naruto loved to be chased; he loved how desperate Shino would be for him when he was finally caught. "If you want it you're gonna have to catch me," he said, swaying his hips provocatively from side-to-side.

Shino looked at Naruto with the challenge evident in his eyes. Suddenly Naruto ran toward the kitchen, in half a second Shino was up and after him. Naruto laughed as he climbed out of an open window, and up onto the roof of the apartment block. When he saw Shino appear on the roof, he ran to the other side and climbed through one of the windows to the communal hallway, then ran around to their apartment. He ran through the door, and closed it behind him. When he turned around Shino was there in front of him. Shino grabbed him and pushed him back against the door, crushing their lips together. Naruto didn't think that was enough, so he slid out of Shino's grasp and headed down the hall. He turned into the bathroom, when Shino came through the door; he pulled him in and spun them around, running out the door and slamming it behind him. He giggled loudly as he headed for the bedroom; he ran in and locked the door, knowing it would give him a few seconds.

He quickly stripped all his clothes off and jumped onto the bed, just as Shino flew through the door, his bugs falling from the picked keyhole. He leapt on to the bed, grabbing Naruto's wrists and pinning them above his head. "Gotcha." Shino whispered as he ground their hips together. Naruto moaned, this was what he had wanted. Shino ripped his tank top off and slipped out of his jeans. Naruto pushed Shino back onto the bed and slid down his body. He licked the tip of Shino's erect member, forcing a moan in response. He opened his mouth and took only the head of his organ in. Shino bucked his hips, trying to make Naruto stop teasing him. Naruto finally took more, bobbing up and down a few times before relaxing his throat and letting the entire length slide into his cavern. Naruto pulled back teasingly holding eye contact with Shino, and released his shaft. Then he was gone, running down the hall toward the living room, cackling laughter filling the apartment. Shino let out a frustrated growl and chased his devious little fox.

Shino burst into the living room, tackling Naruto onto the couch. This time he made sure to keep Naruto's wrists held tightly in one of his large hands, Naruto giggled and bit his lip looking too cute for words. The other one went to Naruto's mouth; Naruto opened and sucked the fingers greedily, coating them in saliva. After a few seconds he removed his fingers from his love's mouth and slid the first into his puckered hole. Naruto moaned as Shino's finger began to move. Shino stretched him as quickly as possible without hurting him, and after only a minute or so Shino deemed him ready. He then made the mistake of releasing Naruto's hands. As soon as his wrists were free, Naruto was up off the couch and racing through their apartment, back toward their room. Shino was a few seconds behind him, so he grabbed the closest clothing item he could find which happened to be a t-shirt, and climbed back out the window and up onto the roof. He quickly wrapped the shirt around his waist and waited.

Shino jumped up to meet Naruto in a pair of Naruto's boxers, which happened to be on backwards, Shino's very prominent arousal making a tent in the thin material. Frankly, Naruto was shocked that his conservative lover was up on the roof in such scandalous dress, although it was no surprise that Naruto was since almost everyone in the village had seen him either naked or damn close. Shino ran toward Naruto, who swung down and re-entered the same window from earlier snorting with laughter. He ran back around to their apartment, Shino hot on his heels. After exploding into the apartment Naruto was taken down onto the kitchen floor. After a quick squabble Shino trapped Naruto facedown, hands trapped behind his back. Shino spit into his hand and quickly lubed up his erection, before pulling Naruto up on his knees and entering his uke fully.

Shino paused to give Naruto a chance to adjust. Naruto began to wiggle his hips, signaling Shino to move. He pulled out and slammed back in, making Naruto shout as his prostate was hit head-on. Shino continued to thrust in and out, when he got close to release he pulled completely out and picked Naruto up from the floor, laying him out on the island in the kitchen. He pulled the blonde's feet up onto his shoulders before re-entering him. Shino began to pound into him with such force that he had to hold the edge of the counter so he would stay in place. Shino grabbed Naruto's hardened shaft and began to slide his hand up and down the flesh. Naruto came first, streams of white erupting from his erection to decorate his and Shino's bare stomachs. Shino thrust twice more before he filled Naruto, then lowered himself down to rest on top of his sated boyfriend, breathing heavily.

--

Kiba sat on the counter and watched Shikamaru step into the bath. He couldn't help but appreciate his husband's body. Tanned skin was taut over sinewy muscles; body riddled with scars that only made him sexier. Dark eyes shifted to him and a defined eyebrow rose. "Care to join me?"

"Of course."

'Why exactly am I cheating on him again?'

Reviews Please!


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